WorldWide Telescope brings space exploration to Earth
(May 13, 2008) The final frontier got a bit closer today as Microsoft Corp. officially launched the public beta of its WorldWide Telescope. WorldWide Telescope is a rich Web application that brings together imagery from the best ground- and space-based observatories across the world to allow people to easily explore the night sky through their computers.
Volunteers asked to help find dead spacecraft on Mars
(May 13, 2008) Scientists have invited the public to trawl high-resolution images for signs of NASA's Mars Polar Lander, which went silent on arrival at Mars in 1999. Finding the wreckage might explain why the mission failed.
XMM-Newton discovers part of missing matter in the universe
(May 13, 2008) ESA's orbiting X-ray observatory XMM-Newton has been used by a team of international astronomers to uncover part of the missing matter in the universe. Astronomers using XMM-Newton were observing a pair of galaxy clusters, Abell 222 and Abell 223, situated at a distance of 2300 million light-years from Earth, when the images and spectra of the system revealed a bridge of hot gas connecting the clusters.
Iron 'snow' may explain Mercury's magnetic field
(May 12, 2008) Flakes of iron snow could be falling inside the planet Mercury, according to a new experiment. This hot metal snowfall might help generate Mercury's puzzling magnetic field. Researchers in the US have attempted to recreate the likely conditions within Mercury's liquid outer core, which is thought to be a mixture of iron and sulfur.
Astronomers begin search for 'vanishing' stars
(May 10, 2008) Astronomers have started monitoring about a million massive stars to see if any suddenly vanish, seemingly without a trace. Such a disappearing act would support a theory that some massive stars simply implode when they die, rather than exploding in brilliant supernovae or gamma-ray bursts.
Magnetic rocks may reveal Martian life
(May 9, 2008) A miniature detector could pick out magnetic rocks on Mars that might harbour telltale signs of ancient life. The instrument could select rocks that contain a magnetic compound – magnetite – that is also produced by bacteria (such as the one shown here) on Earth. The rocks could then be brought back to Earth for closer examination.
Saturn does the wave in upper atmosphere
(May 8, 2008) Two decades of scrutinizing Saturn are finally paying off, as scientists have discovered a wave pattern, or oscillation, in Saturn's atmosphere only visible from Earth every 15 years. The discovery of the wave pattern is the result of a 22-year campaign observing Saturn from Earth (the longest study of temperature outside Earth ever recorded), and the Cassini spacecraft's observations of temperature changes in the giant planet's atmosphere over time.
NASA Kepler mission offers opportunity to send names into space
(May 7, 2008) How cool would it be to have your name on board the spacecraft that discovers the first known Earth-like planet beyond our solar system? Well, here's your chance. NASA today announced an opportunity for anyone to submit their name to be included on a DVD and rocketed into space as part of NASA's Kepler Mission, scheduled to launch in February 2009 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center.
Plasma-powered flying saucer
(May 7, 2008) Pass a current or magnetic field through a conducting fluid and it will generate a force. Numerous aerospace engineers have tried and failed to exploit this phenomenon, known as magnetohydrodynamics, as an exotic form of propulsion for aircraft. But perhaps attempts so far have all been too big. A very small design could have a better chance of taking off, says Subrata Roy, an aerospace engineer at the University of Florida.
Phoenix landing area viewed by MRO
(May 7, 2008) NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander is scheduled to land on the Martian northern plains near 68° north latitude, 127° west longitude on May 25, 2008. In preparation for the landing, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has been monitoring weather in the region around the landing site. On April 20, 2008, the orbiter's Mars Color Imager camera captured this view of a large region of northern Mars that includes the landing target area in the lower right quadrant.
Did Earth once have multiple moons?
(May 6, 2008) The ancient catastrophe that gave birth to the Moon may have produced additional satellites that lingered in Earth's skies for tens of millions of years. A new model suggests moonlets may have once occupied the two Earth-Moon Lagrangian points, regions in space where the gravitational tug of the Earth and the Moon exactly cancel each other out.
Titan's smoggy sand grains
(May 5, 2008) Titan and Earth have much in common, but not when it comes to sand. On Earth, sand grains form by breaking things down, but on Titan, the opposite may be true – with much of the sand a product of building things up. That's one theory Cassini scientists are considering after studying Titan's massive sand dunes with the visible and infrared mapping spectrometer on the Cassini Saturn orbiter.
Earth 'noise' could attract alien invaders
(May 3, 2008) No matter how quiet we try to be now it's too late to prevent alien invaders. So says Alexander Zaitsev of the Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics in Moscow, Russia, who points the finger at astronomers.
Hubble flight slips by 4-5 weeks
(May 2, 2008) The date of the shuttle mission to repair and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope should be confirmed in the next few weeks, NASA says. The flight is currently set for 28 August but the US space agency admits this will slip by four to five weeks. Getting a new class of external fuel tank ready for the Atlantis orbiter's launch has taken longer than expected, NASA explained.
Jupiter's shadow sculpts its rings
(May 1, 2008) Using data from NASA's Galileo spacecraft, scientists have shown that Jupiter's shadow is shaping the planet's rings and the orbits of particles within the rings. The findings appear in the May 1 issue of Nature.
Monster black hole found escaping home galaxy
(Apr 30, 2008) A mammoth black hole has been discovered fleeing its host galaxy at high speed, according to a controversial new study. The galactic eviction may be the result of a violent merger between two black holes. The object in question is a quasar called SDSS J0927+2943.
Cosmic time warp revealed in slow-motion supernovae
(Apr 29, 2008) Once upon a time, time was different. Supernova explosions in the early universe appear to age more slowly than today's supernovae, as if time itself was running slower back then, according to a recent series of astronomical observations. This cosmic time warp is exactly what should be produced by the expansion of the universe, confirming conventional big bang theory.
Wild galaxies collide
(Apr 28, 2008) NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is celebrating its 18th anniversary with a new collection of images showcasing colliding galaxies, including some captured by JPL's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. This picture from the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 shows Arp 148, the staggering aftermath of an encounter between two galaxies that resulted in a ring-shaped galaxy and a long-tailed companion.
Plan to identify watery earth-like planets develops
(Apr 27, 2008) Astronomers are looking to identify Earth-like watery worlds circling distant stars from a glint of light seen through an optical space telescope and a mathematical method developed by researchers at Penn State and the University of Hawaii. "We are looking for Earth-like planets in the habitable zone of their star, a band not too hot nor too cold for life to exist," says Darren M. Williams, associate professor of physics and astronomy, Penn State Erie, the Behrend College. "We also want to know if there is water on these planets."
Space 'spiderwebs' could propel future probes
(Apr 25, 2008) A new type of solar sail has been woven by a team of scientists in Finland. The spiderweb-like sail is designed to catch the wind of ionized gas that blows from the Sun, carrying spacecraft to the outer reaches of the solar system, or letting them tack back and forth through the asteroid belt on exploration or mining missions.
Solar system could go haywire before the Sun dies
(Apr 24, 2008) How will life on Earth end? The answer, of course, is unknown, but two new studies suggest a collision with Mercury or Mars could doom life long before the Sun swells into a red giant and bakes the planet to a crisp in about 5 billion years.
WorldWide Telescope brings space exploration to Earth 
Volunteers asked to help find dead spacecraft on Mars 
XMM-Newton discovers part of missing matter in the universe 
Iron 'snow' may explain Mercury's magnetic field 
Astronomers begin search for 'vanishing' stars 
Magnetic rocks may reveal Martian life 
Saturn does the wave in upper atmosphere 
NASA Kepler mission offers opportunity to send names into space 
Plasma-powered flying saucer 
Phoenix landing area viewed by MRO 
Did Earth once have multiple moons? 
Titan's smoggy sand grains 
Earth 'noise' could attract alien invaders 
Hubble flight slips by 4-5 weeks 
Jupiter's shadow sculpts its rings 
Monster black hole found escaping home galaxy 
Cosmic time warp revealed in slow-motion supernovae 
Wild galaxies collide 
Plan to identify watery earth-like planets develops 
Space 'spiderwebs' could propel future probes 
Solar system could go haywire before the Sun dies 
